lily isnt allowed on the sofas but u can guarantee when i sit down she jumps up all the time & wont take a telling. Shes worse if i have a cup or bottle (rare...) in my hand. How can i stop her apart from putting her in another room which seems a shame....

arasara

18th December 2006, 12:50 PM

Is there a specific reason that she's not allowed on the couch with you? As you know cavaliers are kind of stuck-on-you dogs and Kosmo loves nothing more than just sitting on the couch and cuddling with us.. .. He's not happy unless he's touching one of us:

http://xf9.xanga.com/de6d05341563395880701/m67122628.jpg

If you're intent on having her off the couch I use "OFF" when Kos needs to get down.. :)

lily

18th December 2006, 01:34 PM

i dont want her on because i dont want my sofas scratched & pin holed. Lily has always got 'person' contact weather it be me, hubby or the kids.. shes always getting fussed over. Think i'll just persaver (sp?) with off or down & see how she goes though this time i'm not gonna give in.. ;)

arasara

18th December 2006, 01:37 PM

hahaha good luck with not giving in!!

Kosmo knows just how to work me and I am sure Lily does too!! :P

Good luck! :flwr:

coconut

18th December 2006, 01:48 PM

freddie is now 11 wks and he was not allowed on the sofa but that does not work now as he is able to get up and down now as he please! :)

Karlin

18th December 2006, 01:50 PM

Have you taken her to a basic obedience class? She really needs basic grounding in obedience to help you successfully work on some more complex tasks like asking her to not get up on furniture. She needs to learn 'wait', 'off' (NOT 'down' to get off furniture as that confuses it with 'lie down') and also know how to go into a long down=stay. You have to have somewhere for her to go and stay if you are asking her to get off furniture or she will just keep returning -- she won;t understand you want her to do something else BESIDES trying to get up. :)

I have friends who teach their dogs that they are only allowed on a particular place on furniture, eg to lie on a dog bed on the ofa, or a crate pad. Personally I love having the dogs up by me and these are a lapdog breed -- lap+dog means they need and expect to be up at your level. :lol:

lily

18th December 2006, 02:00 PM

well we all have our own opinions etc & mine is not to jump on my sofas... i want to keep them decent & cant take the risk of lily chewing them as i'm sure she would have a try.... I sit on the floor with her aswell so i am at her level to....

Funny you should say that karlin as i now put her blanket down near me & tell lily to lie on that so she does most of the time so i guess were getting there... Weve done well with our own obedience teaching as weve stopped her chewing feet & hands. Lie, sit, stay & come... potty trained her to only 1 accident a day & shes only 14 weeks.... not bad for 1st time dog owners....

Lisa_T

18th December 2006, 02:41 PM

you could try covering part of a sofa with a dog blanket and training her to use that spot only. My grandmother does this with Holly and it has been effective- sofas are saved and dog is happy. If you *MUST* keep Lily off the sofa, I advise you to splash out and get the softest, most luxurious comfy dog bed you can, and put it right in the centre of the living room. If you do that you may find that as long as she is in the centre of activity, she might actually prefer to spend time in her lovely bed. I find Cavaliers are content as long as they are warm and comfy.

Karlin

18th December 2006, 02:49 PM

Just keep in mind 14 weeks is very, very young to expect a puppy to obey much of anything. They are like small children with very short attention spans. I didn't realise she was still so young; I though she was more like 6 months-plus.

It is better at her age to be managing her with an xpen perhaps then? She will not be able to stay in a down stay for more than a few moments at her age.

There's no big issue about dogs staying off furniture but this may not really have been the best breed to have with those intentions and concerns as they also shed a lot; they have a very inbuilt natural tendency to want to be on laps and laps tend to be at seated level and people seat themselves on furniture. This is not really a behavioural quirk but is actually a *hardwired genetic desire* based on hundreds of years of being used as lap warmers hence the dogs want to be very close and climb up near people and onto laps or next to them on furniture. I've yet to meet anyone who successfully keeps cavaliers off furniture. Putting her in another room to prevent this is really punishing her for being a cavalier. :(

Cathy T

18th December 2006, 03:58 PM

One of the things hubby and I agreed on was no dogs on the furniture. Yeah, right, that went right out the window the first day. Luckily we have leather furniture and neither of mine has ever chewed or scratched on the sofa. The funny thing is that they both have their own chosen spots on the sofa. I've put a blanket on the love seat and Jake has chosen the arm of the loveseat as his spot. When we have visitors who sit in his spot he will stare at them. I explain what's going on and tell Jake to go lay in his bed. He's fine with that. But the minute the person moves he's right to his spot. We also have a blanket on our sofa and Shelby is always at the far end.

murphy's mum

18th December 2006, 06:13 PM

I've yet to meet anyone who successfully keeps cavaliers off furniture. Putting her in another room to prevent this is really punishing her for being a cavalier. :(
I couldn't agree MORE! Your Cavi only wants to be as close as possible to you. Did you not research into the breed before getting her? As has been previously mentioned they really are lap dog, mine is never happier than when he's on mine.
Please, please don't put her in another room, she will not understand why. Surely you could buy a throw to cover your couch. My boy has never ever attempted to chew at my couch, kitchen cabinets yes, but not the couch icon_whistling

Lisa

18th December 2006, 06:15 PM

i wrote this post on lisa's account but i'm deleting it and reposting it in my own account, the delete button is gone so i'm doing it this way. sorry for the distraction, i am getting this sorted out now....

lily

18th December 2006, 06:32 PM

murphys mum

yes i did loads & loads of research into this breed prior to getting her & if you could kindly re read my post i said other than put her in another room.... not that i did. Meaning when i want to sit & relax & drink a cuppa ... i have done well with lily upto now & am not some kind of wicked witch i seem to be getting made out to be..... i am asking for advice not to be slangged at.... i see nothing wrong with wanting to keep my sofas as new. Why should i let them get scratched & chewed then have to put throws on them which will make my room untidy. Just coz you get a dog, does not mean you have to let them wreck your furniture or take a chance they will. Lily is happy just because she cant have her own way always dosent mean shes any less loved than anyones here.. bit dicipline goes a long way....

judy

18th December 2006, 06:48 PM

I got Zack when he was 16 weeks old and i had decided there was one sofa he couldn't go on, the dark blue soft flanel-like slip cover one, the slip cover can only be dry cleaned and i don't like dry cleaning fluid, so, i didn't want the hairs shed on that one. I never expected that he would chew it or put holes in it, just shedding.

The cat isn't allowed on it either. Why they obey me on that, i'll never know. I guess the cat just has other places that satisfy her, but she liked the sofa, so i dont' know.

When i got zack, i also got a book called Puppy Preschool, and the author said to use the word "nhaaah" when redirecting a puppy because he said you should use behavior similar to a mother dog, when socializing a young pre-training puppy, and mother dogs, he said, tell puppies to stop doing things by going "nhaaah." I used it for everything, i was so surprised when i first started doing it that it really worked. I've had dogs in the past and always used "NO." "nhaaah" worked way more consistently, immediately, whereas 'no' didn't seem to be understood at first. Interesting.

I said nhaah when he thought my tennis shoe was another one of his dog toys and he began to mouth it, and he never touched any of my shoes again. these results are way beyond my expectations. The only behavior it didn't work on was zack running up to the cat and bonking her and sniffing/licking her butt. His urge to do that was way too strong.

But it did get him to get off the blue sofa and stay off. Even when i occasionally lay on it, he won't try to get on. Normally i sit in a reclining chair and he can get up there all he wants, which he only does when i'm on it, so he's in my lap. but he usually lays on the love seat. I have been surprised that he learned this right from the start. He really wanted to go on the sofa, but he also seemed to want to do what i said. i don't ever find white hairs on it, so i assume he doesn't go on it when i'm not home.

But then when he was about 8 months old, he suddenly got really sick, it was so scary, he suddenly changed from playing and running around to just laying all day. He would get up to walk and would go a couple of steps and lay back down. He was scratching and rubbing his face, but otherwise, he didnt' do anything. He appeared depressed and as if he felt very bad. He did have a good appetite, but didn't readily walk to where the food and water were--the main problem seemed to be with walking around. I theorized that he might be dizzy or faint, or extremely weak, it happened overnight. He was like that for three days and then skin lesions came and the diagnosis was pyoderma and he started improving after that.

But on the first two days of it, i had to work, so i had to leave him. I left him in the living room where he would be most comfortable. The thing is, after all those months of not going on the blue sofa, when he got that sickness, he ONLY wanted to be on the blue sofa, and he acted as if he had never learned not to go on it. At first i tried to redirect him, but he ignored me, and at the same time, he was so sick, i chose to let him do it and deal with the consequences later. I put a sheet over it. And he stayed there constantly. A few days later when he was acting more happy and active, i started saying "nhaaah" again about the sofa and he readily accepted going back to how it was before. he stopped going on it.

Zack never showed any interest in biting any furniture except the rockers on the wooden rocking chair, i sprayed bitter yuk on it and went 'nhaah' and he stoppd. he never bit cloth upholstery. My cat used to claw the slipcovers of the love seat and sofa, she really shredded the one on the love seat, but it looks ok after trimming off the threads. But, so, i got this two sided clear sticky wide tape that's used for this purpose, and put the tape over the areas she liked to scratch, and it stopped the scratching very effectively. she didn't like that stickiness. Maybe this would work with dogs biting too? It doesn't show unless you're looking for it, it's clear.

i have pretty much despaired of persuading zack not to jump up toward peoples' laps whether they're standing or sitting. The breed was bred to be inclined to merge with people, like karlin said, this is how they are supposed to be, people bred them for this, telling them they're not supposed to doen't make sense to them. i've worked with zack on not jumping up on people when they stop to pet him when we're out, and he tries not to at first, but i can see his little inbred inclination coming through so powerfully and the more they pet and say "you are nice doggie" and stuff like that, the more the urge builds up, and then he kind of starts putting his front paws up. and saying nhaah or anything doesn't penetrate his brain well. it's a very hard one for him to get.

good luck with adapting your lily, she sounds fun.

Maxxs_Mummy

18th December 2006, 06:54 PM

Personally, I can't see that you are being 'slangged at'. The others are just trying to explain that Cavaliers are lap dogs and are genetically programmed to lie on sofas :lol:

I'm not 'slangging you' whatever that means.... but, why get a Cavalier if you don't want it on the furniture? Maybe a small clawless dog that doesn't moult would have been better.

I personally couldn't imagine sitting down of an evening without a dog or two on my lap. Incidentally, my furniture is not scratched, chewed, dirty, smelly or anything else. We bought leather sofas and wooden furniture and also had wooden floors laid so that the dogs would be as much at home as we are.

If you are that bothered about her getting on the sofas then send her to me, there's plenty of room on my sofas and bed for her ;) :lol:

judy

18th December 2006, 06:55 PM

sara--CUTE photo of kosmo, thanks! :flwr:

lily's mom--imo you have the right to set the rules in your home, of course, and certainly dogs need discipline, especially puppies. just wondering, has lily shown any tendency to bite the upholstery? i don't think i've ever heard of a dog doing this, though i'm sure it can happen, but i think it's rare and would be considered a behavior problem, not a normal developmental kind of chewing,. you said you are a new dog owner, so i want to mention this FYI, usually i think biting upholstery is not one of their vices, but wooden stuff, yes. and of course, there are always exceptions to generalizations. please don't misunderstand, i'm not saying this to disagree with your sofa policy. I just didn't catch whether you said she has shown this sofa biting behavior yet and was wondering.
good luck with your adventure.

Joanne M

18th December 2006, 06:57 PM

Before I got Tucker, my house was my baby. As a first-time home owner I was so proud of finally owning a home. I enthusiastically decorated, and spent long hours selecting each item that went into my house, including brand new furniture for the living room. I agonized over the placement of each item in the living room, kitchen and dining area. Often moving things, a fraction of an inch at a time so everything was perfect (yes, I'm a virgo). I loved my house, but it did not become a home until I got Tucker. So in spite of the damage he's done (none to any furniture) by chewing on the doorway moldings, and finding his hair, just about everywhere, I wouldn't have it any other way. I have however, covered the living room furniture with fleece blankets, that I whisk off just before company arrives. I keep a lint brush handy too. I've been lucky that Tucker has not chewed on any furniture. He's stopped chewing on the molding too, I believe it was just a phase in his puppy days.

judy

18th December 2006, 07:05 PM

here's a photo of zack in my lap on the reclining chair, displacing the laptop from its intended position. :D

usually when this is happening, the cat is on the arm of the chair at the same time, but i dont' see her there in this one.

http://static.flickr.com/137/326315376_839d22bc5d.jpg

lily

18th December 2006, 07:12 PM

were does it state that to have a cavalier you have to allow it on your furniture???

like i said its an individual choice & lily is happy believe me so NO-WAY will i be parting with her & N0-WAY is she gonna snuggle up on my sofas when she has her own beds...

murphy's mum

18th December 2006, 07:52 PM

here's a photo of zack in my lap on the reclining chair, displacing the laptop from its intended position. :D
Hee, hee Judy, what is it about a laptop. Murphy can be snoozing elsewhere, but as soon as my laptop comes out there he is, it's as if to say 'No this is my lap!' :rotfl:

Joanne M

18th December 2006, 08:07 PM

That's a great photo Judy.

Lily, no way do I mean to imply you should let the dog on the couch or any other surface you don't want. No offense intended, however, I suspect you may eventually give in. Not because you should, I absolutely believe your angel gets all the love and attention it deserves. I just found myself giving in on things, I didn't think I would. I actually applaud you if you stick to your rules. It's just that they give you those sad cavalier eyes and sometimes you give in, in spite of your intent. I was adamant about not wanting Tucker to sleep in my bed. I didn't want dog hair, or anything that might be on him from the yard, etc... I tried it for a few months, then everytime my nieces slept over he'd sleep with them in the other room. After they went home he'd kinda whine beside my bed at night, he's got a perfectly good dog bed in my bedroom, but he wanted to lay next to me, or someone, and I felt bad, eventually gave in. My bed doesn't look as pristine as it once did, but I wimped out. Couldn't hold my ground.

Keep me posted. I'm not judging you honey. I'm genuinely interested in what every one has to say at this site. Everyone offers what works best for them. FYI - Tucker will put himself in a room by himself at times. Which I understand is unusual for a cavalier. Since he can lay on any bed or piece of furniture he wants, he seems to alternate. Sometimes, at night he puts himself to bed, other times he waits until I go to bed. Sometimes when I'm sitting in my chair in the living room, Tucker jumps off my lap and curls up in his own dog bed, that is in front of the fireplace, alongside my chair. My friend has Tucker's brother, and she says he always wants to be sitting on someone. Tucker does not have to. Right now, while I'm typing he's laying on a bed in the same room, but he's not trying to get my attention, or trying to jump up on me.

estertje

18th December 2006, 08:21 PM

Sam can sit with us in the sofa and he gets up there to sleep sometimes. If you really don't want him doing that you could try to place some aluminium (you know, like you use for lunch) on the couch so that when he jumps in it it makes a horrible noise that scares him and he probably won't try it again after some time, and it would be a really good idea to train him for obedience. If he is very young, you can start at home, there are a lot of great bookt to start training without taking a class. The younger they are, the faster they learn. I started with Sam to train when he was 3 months old and it really paid off!
good luck!! ;)

judy

18th December 2006, 09:07 PM

if you put their bed on the floor next to the sofa where you sit, you could also take some of your clothes like some used (not just laundered) sweat pants, and put those in her bed, something with your scent strongly on it.
:d*g:

estertje

18th December 2006, 09:44 PM

that's a great idea too!! Sam allways lies down on something I wore, no matter what it is or how big it is, even a hanky I put in my pocket that day!

Lisa_T

18th December 2006, 11:24 PM

Yes, if I drop any laundry on the way to the washing machine, a dog will take it. And Amber has shown an alarming gift for pulling things down that *should* be out of her reach. She seems especially fond of snagging my scarves... whether to lie on them or play with them I don't know, but I'm losing count of the number of times I've come down to find her happily ensconsed in a pile of coats and scarves...

lily's mum (mom?), it is possible to stick to your guns. Most people here sleep with their Cavs. I never have. Both of mine sleep in the crate in the kitchen- admittedly, they now sleep together, but initially they slept apart. Also admittedly, I have the advantage of being able to 'switch off' the sound of any yapping/whining courtesy of hearing aids, so they *usually* soon learn it doesn't get them anywhere... but that's rather different from keeping a cav off the furniture. My grandmother is the most insanely houseproud person I know (I mean, she complains if a magazine isn't returned to the precise angle on the exact place it was at...) and as I said, even she has found that it's easier to capitulate.

Also, it's easy now to say 'no sofas' but when Lily becomes older and is more able to jump on and off things... good luck to you! I *wanted* to keep Amber off the sofas (simply because mine are high and I worried about the impact of jumping up and down on tender young bones) but as soon as she became capable of getting up and down under her own steam, and she's like a cat...I gave it up as a bad job. However, I tend to use the armchair and so the dogs will often prefer to be with me on that- perhaps get an older chair that she *can* use?

Nean

19th December 2006, 12:07 AM

Lily,

I'm sorry I have nothing to offer about keeping your dog off the sofa, but I do want to say don't worry about what other people think. You have every right to run your household any way you want. It sounds to me that you have one rule that some others don't agree with, but otherwise you seem very intuned to your dog. We let ours on the sofa, but not to sleep with us. Recently, someone really made us feel like you know what, because I mentioned how she doesn't get to sleep with us, but she is afraid of storms and I let her sleep with my 9 year old granddaughter, but that when the thunder clapped, the dog would jump from the bed and go under the bed. Oh my gosh, I was told just how sad that was etc etc etc. I think they forgot the sentence that said, the DOG decided to go under the bed, we didn't put her there. All I can figure is, dog's are den creatures and she felt more comfortable in a closed in tight area resembling a den, rather than on the bed in the arms of a human during a storm that she was so afraid of. It took me awhile to convince myself that I was not some horrible unfeeling human. By the way, it was nobody on this or any other Cavalier forum.

Sometimes I think this method of communcation leaves a lot to be desired and can sometimes cause misunderstanding and ill feelings when it was not intended. I really have no suggestions for keeping her off, but I do think you can get it accomplished with time and consistancey.
Nean

lily

19th December 2006, 12:16 AM

cheers you 2 & no i wont give up & lily will realise that bless her. I am determined & she knows it......

As for sleeping in any of our beds...... well i wont go their as you will all think i'm strict & heartless but i'm not...

i could give my opinions on varios topics here but withdraw :sl*p:

Maxxs_Mummy

19th December 2006, 12:36 AM

cheers you 2 & no i wont give up & lily will realise that bless her. I am determined & she knows it......

As for sleeping in any of our beds...... well i wont go their as you will all think i'm strict & heartless but i'm not...:

No I don't. I just don't think you know what you're missing that's all....

i could give my opinions on varios topics here but withdraw :sl*p:

Please do.... you probably think we're all completely mad - I know that I am, so, no surprises there :lol: :lol: :lol:

Joanne M

19th December 2006, 12:50 AM

Tucker will lay on both clean and dirty clothes. If I gather up the dirty laundry from around the house, sometimes it exceeds the laundry basket and he inevitably lays atop whatever is on the floor. However, he also likes to lay atop my clean clothes. I often lay out what I'm about to wear, while I'm in the shower, he makes himself cozy on slacks and tops that are on my bed.

Nean

19th December 2006, 02:30 AM

I have heard of taking a towel or small blanket or whatever your pup is going to us in his bed, and you sleeping on it for a few nights to get your scent on it, then put it in their bed.

Nean

merlinsmum

19th December 2006, 01:41 PM

Tucker will lay on both clean and dirty clothes. If I gather up the dirty laundry from around the house, sometimes it exceeds the laundry basket and he inevitably lays atop whatever is on the floor. However, he also likes to lay atop my clean clothes. I often lay out what I'm about to wear, while I'm in the shower, he makes himself cozy on slacks and tops that are on my bed.

Sounds just like my two! Merlin also likes to try and pull dirty washing through the holes of the washing basket - keeps him amused for hours :lol: I think part of the cavalier character is to snuggle with their owners whether it be on the floor or the sofa! Best of luck in keeping your Lily off the sofa, I tried with mine, and failed and I am happy about it!

Each to their own though :D

Cicero's Mummy

19th December 2006, 02:38 PM

I've waited around and read everything that everyone has put up here... and IMO...

To Lily-
You have way more determination and patience in your pinkie than I do in my whole body!! Please, do let me know if you have success with such a task and how you do it!

I have a family member who visits that is allergic to dogs (which is kinda a bummer because our entire family is a dog-loving and owning family minus this bil and his wife[theallergic]), and it would be nice to be able to have her visit without getting accosted by the dog on the couch as well! :sl*p: Okay accosted is not the right word, but I am sure that is how she feels.

To my innerself -
My dh thinks that our dog will be trained to stay off the couch as well, and I have said he is imagining things as I will always want my dog on my lap or by my side! If this makes me a bad mommy for not inforcing one rule... ahk... then I am a bad mommy! I am just being realistic for my situation...

I think I have adopted these rules for my home:
(please keep in mind this is to be read as a lighthearted funny thing)

All Non-Pet Owners Who Visit & Like to Complain About Our Pets
1. They live here. You don't.
2. If you don't want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture. That's why they call it "fur"niture.)
3. To you, it's an animal, To me, he/she is an adopted son/daughter who is short, hairy, walks on all fours, doesn't speak clearly!